Let Me Fall
by Marvinder
Summary: Nero/Ayel. Slash. The destruction had driven him insane. It had cut the whole crew deeply, but Nero... Nero changed beyond belief. And Ayel was determined to fix him


**Authors Note: Yeah guys, I did it.I wanted Nero/Ayel. I wrote it. hell yeah!**

**Warnings: Slash! (dur) Nothing really bad in it. I'd say its like pg ~ish.**

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"Ayel!" Nero yelled sometime after the attack on the Kelvin. He had been giving orders since the destruction of the ship, mostly to the scientists aboard the Nerada, a series of calculations and equations to figure out where Ambassador Spock would come out of the black hole.

Nero was in his cabin, the closest he'd come to resting in over two days. Ayel had been trying to convince him to rest and was met with nothing but anger. But Ayel knew Nero well and knew he would see the logic in rest... eventually.

"Nero, you must rest. Please." Ayel begged him. 57 hours with no sleep isnt good for any one.

"Ayel!" He spat back "How can I sleep when the destroyer of our world could come through at any moment?" He sank into his chair.

"And are you meant to face him like this? Out of your mind with exhaustion?" He was the only one who could talk back to Nero and live. Even when they were simple miners Nero was always dangerous.

Though... he was different now. The destruction of Romulas left him broken, the death of his love left him scarred. Secretly, deep down, Ayel hoped that he could fix Nero. He had always been obsessed with fixing broken things. Something about getting the damaged pieces to click and the delight in seeing the healing. Ayel had never tried to "fix" a broken man before and found himself determined to succeed in this new challenge. He was fascinated by Nero. There was just something in his eyes....

Nero sighed. Ayel tried not to look surprised. His sigh was so sad and full of loss.

"You are right, Ayel." He whispered, no louder than a breath, hunched over, defeated.

The destruction had driven him insane. It had cut them all deep and some would never recover. But Nero. Nero changed beyond belief.

Ayel had never seen a more heartbreaking sight. Nero was a brave, strong, Romulan. Fierce and deadly. Not like this, alone and lost.

"I will leave you then, Master Nero." Ayel bowed and turned to leave but was stopped by a sudden hand on his shoulder. Nero's warm touch sent something through him that Ayel had tried to ignore, one must not feel attracted to their married commanders. But Ayel was drawn to Nero, especially in this twisted state. His fractured mind alluring and his fierceness intensified by his pent up rage. Ayel was always trying to fix broken things, he was drawn to them. Like moth to a flame. He just hoped Nero would not burn him. Or worse.

"Do not leave, Ayel... please" the desperation in his voice made Ayel's breath catch in his throat. The hand withdrew and Ayel turned to face his Master. "What is it you wish, Master?"

The emotion in Nero's eyes was against everything Ayel (or anyone else) knew about him.

"I am not your master right now, Ayel. I need..." he inhaled, exhaled. "...a friend. I need... you."  
And that was when Nero went against his entire being, wrapped his arms around Ayel, clinging as if for dear life, brokedown and cried.

Ayel responded posthaste, one arm embracing him and the other rubbing his back comfortingly. "Lay down, Nero, please," Ayel whispered into his neck as he purposefully guided Nero to the bed and gently tried to push him down. But Nero clung on. Like water to glass.

"Dont leave, Ayel. You must not leave, never leave" Nero rasped, demanding, but pleading. A strange contradiction, Ayel thought, and one he was drawn to.

"I will stay, I promise." Ayel murmured and lay down on the bed with Nero curled against him. Still sobbing.

And though this was not what Ayel had pictured in his private, late-at-night dreams about the captain, and what he would do in Nero's bed, he found he was quite content to softly soothe Nero to sleep, knowing that he has seen a glimpse of this defeated-but-not-quite-fallen warrior's broken heart. A heart he would happily glue back together. Piece by insane piece.

Nero eventually cried himself into on uneasy sleep. Ayel slipped out from under him. He went over to the computer consol and issued orders that Nero was to be disturbed under no circumstances for the nexr 24 hours. The ship was being run on no exact rotuine so it would be of no surprise if Nero didnt show up on the bridge for a while. They would assume that he was working on some important revenge scheme.

Ayel sat down and turned to watch Nero sleeping. His breathing was sporadic and laboured. He would occasionaly twitch and his left arm struck out randomly. Ayel knew he was dreaming and contemplated waking him. But he not want to poke the sleeping bear.

____________

_This place is dark. And lonely.  
But I am not alone. She is here, somewhere. I have to find her. I run through this darkness.  
Theres shadows in the darkness. Moving spaces of Darker the Darkness. I stumble through them. Lashing out when they get to close. It hurts when they come close. I know this is a nightmare but that doesnt make it any less terrifying. I shouldnt be able to feel but I can.  
I cant breath. I cant think.  
But I can run.  
She is here.  
I run, despite the fact that all is darkness and shadows.  
I run. She is here, Somewhere.  
And I must find her. I must.  
THERE!_____________  
_  
_  
"Nero, Nero!" Ayel was shaking him trying to wake him from his nightmare. Nero had been convulsing violently, as if in a fit. He came to suddenly and grabbed Ayel as if to throw him against the wall. They locked eyes and Nero fell into Ayel's arms.  
"Its ok, Nero. Everything is okay. I'm here. Shhh." Ayel attempted to comfort him.  
"Falling, falling. Ayel I'm falling. And falling and..." Nero began to shake violently and Ayel hugged him tight to his chest.  
"I will not let you fall, Nero"

But, no... just a hole. And I'm falling.  
But she it there... at the bottom...  
Falling and falling and falling.

_But she is there..._

"NO!" Nero yelled and pushed Ayel back with all his force, sending him crashing into the wall.  
"Let me fall." He roared, then in a breath "Let me fall."

Ayel was on the floor, his head hurt and the room was spinning a little. Nero towerd over him.  
"I will not let you fall apart, Nero" He managed to say.

It was, apparently, the wrog thing to say. Nero roared and struck him, leaving a red mark on the side of his face. Ayel tried to hide the fear in his eyes, but Nero saw it and sunk to his knees.  
"Ayel," Nero said his name like a prayer "She is gone. They all are"

"I am here," Was the simple reply. Ayel was still on the ground as Nero sat down beside him.  
"But _why_ are you still here?" Nero couldnt help but wonder why his first officer would keep him around when he could easily deem him insane and take command of the ship.  
"You are broken, Nero. And it is my job to fix it."  
Nero scoffed. "Fix me, Ayel? And how do you propose to do that?" He knew there was a part of him inside that was nothing but a cold, broken, stone. Ayel had been the only one to glimpse it and though he was far from easily frightened, that thought scared him.  
Ayel sat up properly facing him. Eye to eye. Close enough to breath each others air.  
A moment of silence hung between the two.

_"Nero..."_

That was all that needed to be said and the space between them was cut by Nero's lips crashing against Ayel's

**-Le Fin-**

Thanks for reading :D  
Review if you liked it! (And if you didnt, review anyway and tell me why!


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